Grace Kelly and Prince Rainier marry - Apr 18, 1956 - HISTORY.com Grace Kelly and Prince Rainier marry Share this: Grace Kelly and Prince Rainier marry Author Grace Kelly and Prince Rainier marry URL Publisher A+E Networks American actress Grace Kelly marries Prince Rainier of Monaco in a spectacular ceremony on this day in 1956. Kelly, the daughter of a former model and a wealthy industrialist, began acting as a child. After high school, she attended the American Academy for Dramatic Arts in New York. While she auditioned for Broadway plays, she supported herself by modeling and appearing in TV commercials. In 1949, Kelly debuted on Broadway in The Father by August Strindberg. Two years later, she landed her first Hollywood bit part, in Fourteen Hours. Her big break came in 1952, when she starred as Gary Cooper’s wife in High Noon. Her performance in The Country Girl, as the long-suffering wife of an alcoholic songwriter played by Bing Crosby, won her an Oscar in 1954. The same year, she played opposite Jimmy Stewart in Alfred Hitchcock’s Rear Window.

While filming another Hitchcock movie, To Catch a Thief (1955), in the French Riviera, Kelly met Prince Rainier of Monaco. It wasn’t love at first sight for Kelly, but the prince initiated a long correspondence, which led to their marriage in 1956. Afterward, she became Princess Grace of Monaco and retired from acting. She had three children and occasionally narrated documentaries. Kelly died tragically at the age of 52 when her car plunged off a mountain road by the Cote D’Azur in September 1982. Related Videos 1000+ images about Princess Grace of Monaco on Pinterest | Prince, Dial m for murder and Monaco Pinterest • The world’s catalog of ideas Princess Grace of Monaco Grace Patricia Kelly (November 12, 1929 – September 14, 1982) was an American actress who, in April 1956, married Rainier III, Prince of Monaco, to become Princess consort of Monaco, styled as Her Serene Highness The Princess of Monaco, and commonly referred to as Princess Grace.

178 Pins1.95k Followers BBC ON THIS DAY | 19 | 1956: Prince Rainier marries Grace Kelly 1956: Prince Rainier marries Grace Kelly Prince Rainier III of Monaco has married the American film actress Grace Kelly. The religious ceremony follows yesterday's civil ceremony held in the throne room in the Palace of Monaco. The celebration of the Nuptial Mass was held in the Cathedral of Monaco. Miss Kelly looked every bit the film star in her ivory gown made of silk taffeta and lace. The couple did not look at each other during the ceremony, but sat, stood and knelt facing the high altar as instructed by Monsignor Marella, the Papal Legate from Paris. They spoke their vows so quietly that it was hard to tell whether they made them in English or French, the national language of Monaco. At the end of the ceremony, a message was read out from the Pope. Then the couple drove through the streets of Monte Carlo in an open-top car, waving to thousands of well-wishers.

The couple, who announced their engagement in January, are spending their honeymoon cruising around the Mediterranean aboard Prince Rainier's yacht, Deo Juvante II - out of the public eye for the first time in months. Nervous bride Yesterday's civil ceremony, conducted by the president of the Monaco Supreme Court, was attended by the couple's close family and friends. In Monaco, as in France, a civil marriage must take place before a religious ceremony. Miss Kelly, wearing a beige, lace dress with a close-fitting hat, was noticeably nervous throughout the proceedings. Following the legal formalities the couple made a short appearance on the balcony of the palace where approximately 500 members of the public waited below. The newly-married couple, surrounded by an abundance of red and white flowers, waved to the crowds for a few minutes before going back inside.

Grace Kelly - Biography - IMDb Grace Kelly Biography Showing all 104 items Jump to: Overview (5) | Mini Bio (2) | Spouse (1) | Trade Mark (2) | Trivia (67) | Personal Quotes (26) | Salary (1) Overview (5) 14 September 1982 , Monaco (injuries from car accident) Birth Name 5' 6½" (1.69 m) Mini Bio (2) Grace Patricia Kelly was born on November 12, 1929 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to wealthy parents. She was the daughter of Margaret Katherine (Majer), a phys ed instructor, and John Brendan Kelly, Sr., a three-time Olympic Gold winner for rowing. Her uncle was playwright George Kelly . She was of half Irish and half German descent. Her girlhood was uneventful for the most part, but one of the things she desired was to become an actress which she had decided on at an early age. After her high school graduation in 1947, Grace struck out on her own, heading to New York's bright lights to try her luck there.

Grace worked as a model and made her debut on Broadway in 1949. She also made a brief foray into the infant medium of television. Not content with the work in New York, Grace moved to Southern California for the more prestigious part of acting -- motion pictures. In 1951, she appeared in her first film entitled Fourteen Hours (1951) when she was 22. It was a small part, but a start nonetheless. The following year, she landed the role of Amy Kane in High Noon (1952), a western starring Gary Cooper and Lloyd Bridges which turned out to be very popular. In 1953, Grace appeared in only one film, but it was another popular one. The film was Mogambo (1953) where Grace played Linda Nordley. The film was a jungle drama in which fellow cast members, Clark Gable and Ava Gardner turned in masterful performances. It was also one of the best films ever released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. Although she got noticed with High Noon, her work with director Alfred Hitchcock , which began with Dial M for Murder (1954) made her a star.

Her standout performance in Rear Window (1954) brought her to prominence. As Lisa Fremont, she was cast opposite James Stewart , who played a photographer who witnesses a murder in an apartment across the courtyard while convalescing in a wheelchair. Grace stayed busy in 1954 appearing in five films. Grace would forever be immortalized by winning the Academy Award for Best Actress for her portrayal of Georgie Elgin opposite Bing Crosby in The Country Girl (1954). In 1955, Grace once again teamed with Hitchcock in To Catch a Thief (1955) co-starring Cary Grant . In 1956, she played Tracy Lord in the musical comedy High Society (1956) which also starred Frank Sinatra and Bing Crosby . The whimsical tale ended with her re-marrying her former husband, played by Crosby. The film was well received and also turned out to be her final acting performance. In the summer of 1954, Kelly and Cary Grant were on the French Riviera, working on To Catch a Thief.

It was probably the scene after Grace speeds along the Moyen Corniche to quickly get to the "picnic grounds", and away from a tailing police car, that she had time to look at the Mediterranean and the countryside along the coast. "Whose gardens are those?" she asked screenwriter John Michael Hayes . "Prince Grimaldi's". She would not meet the prince until the following year. In New York in March 1955, she received a call from Rupert Allan, Look Magazine's west coast editor, who had become a friend since writing three cover stories on her. The French government wanted her to attend the Cannes Film Festival that May. She had some good reasons to go. One: The Country Girl (1954) would be shown at the festival. Two: she had really loved working on the Riviera the summer before. She met Prince Rainier of Monaco during the Cannes festival. He needed a wife, because with no heir to the throne, Monaco would again be part of France, after his death, all its citizens would have to pay French taxes. And Kelly thought it was time for her to select a husband, one who would finally meet with her parents' approval.

Her biographers show that the life of a princess was not exactly living happily ever after. Old friends from Philadelphia as well as people she had known in Hollywood reported how glad she was to talk about her life in America and to be speaking English. And then on a cliff road she had known so well since her first visit to the Riviera, there was the fatal crash. The spot is often said to be the same spot where the picnic scene from To Catch a Thief was filmed in 1954. However, Kelly's own son, Prince Albert of Monaco , has categorically denied this on Larry King Live and elsewhere; according to him, the accident did not even happen on the same road, let alone at the same spot. For the rest of her life, she was to remain in the news with her marriage and her three children. On September 14, 1982, Grace was killed in an automobile accident in her adoptive home country, Monaco, at age 52.

- IMDb Mini Biography By: Pedro Borges Spouse (1) ( 18 April 1956 - 14 September 1982) (her death) (3 children) Trade Mark (2) Her poised, calm, cool and collected demeanor and blond hair often coiffed in a bun Often cast as the love interest of the leading man who is over 20 years older. Trivia (67) Chosen by Empire magazine as one of the 100 Sexiest Stars in film history (#5) (1995). Ranked #51 in Empire (UK) magazine's "The Top 100 Movie Stars of All Time" list. [October 1997] Hoped to return to acting in Alfred Hitchcock 's Marnie (1964), but the people of Monaco did not want their princess playing a thief and romancing Sean Connery . Had three children with Prince Rainier of Monaco : Princess Caroline of Monaco (1957), Prince Albert of Monaco (1958) and Princess Stéphanie of Monaco (1965). Her movies were banned in Monaco by order of Prince Rainier of Monaco .

The inscription at her burial site in Monaco's cathedral does not refer to her as a princess. It uses the title "uxor principis" (prince's wife), which is traditional in the House of Grimaldi. Following her untimely death, she was interred at the Cathedral of St. Nicholas in Monaco. Assisted in the pre-production status of Grace Kelly (1983) starring Cheryl Ladd as Grace Kelly. Actress Rita Gam was among her bridesmaids. Born at 5:31 AM EST. In 1993, the United States and Monaco simultaneously released a commemorative postage stamp honoring her. However, United States federal law forbids postage stamps depicting foreign heads of state, so the United States stamp listed her as "Grace Kelly", while the Monaco stamp listed her as "Princess Grace". Part of Prince Rainier of Monaco 's attraction to marrying a movie star was to increase tourism in his tiny, cash-poor principality, and the Kelly family was turned off by his demands that a substantial dowry accompany Grace to Monaco.

A figure of $2,000,000 was finally agreed upon, which was diverted from Grace's inheritance so that her brother and two sisters would not be shortchanged. Kelly's wedding gown was the most expensive garment that MGM designer Helen Rose had ever made. It used twenty-five yards of silk taffeta and one hundred yards of silk net. Its 125-year-old rose point lace was purchased from a museum and thousands of tiny pearls were sewn on the veil. Was considered for the role of Maggie the Cat in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1958) that was eventually played by Elizabeth Taylor . The so-called "wealthy" family Grace was born into was actually an immigrant family of bricklayers who had barely a generation of newfound business success. Grace's father and brother were both Olympic gold-medal scullers. Grace's cousin, former US Secy of Navy John Lehman, Jr. now chairs the Princess Grace Foundation, which supports young performing talent. Attended and graduated from the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, New York. The Country Girl (1954), the film that won Kelly an Oscar, was first offered to Jennifer Jones , who had to turn it down due to pregnancy.

When she left Hollywood, several roles she was slated to play were eventually filled by Lauren Bacall ( Designing Woman (1957) and The Cobweb (1955)). Director George Stevens also wanted her for Giant (1956). Niece of playwright George Kelly . Kelly was the daughter of John Brendan Kelly, Sr. (1889-1960), the son of Irish immigrants, and his wife Margaret Katherine (Majer), whose parents were German. She had three siblings: Peggy, John Jr. and Lizzane. On January 1959, the Austrian government awarded her a medal of merit for aid to Hungarian refugees escaping Russian invasion, given through Monaco's Red Cross. She was one of many famous tenants of the Barbizon Hotel for Women when she lived in New York. Other tenants included Candice Bergen , Liza Minnelli , Cloris Leachman , Ali MacGraw , and Edith 'Little Edie' Bouvier Beale . She was voted the 27th Greatest Movie Star of all time by Entertainment Weekly.

Referenced in the songs "Grace Kelly", by Die Ärzte; "Grace Kelly Blues" by Eels ( Mark Oliver Everett ),"Grace Kelly with Wings" by Piebald; and "Grace Kelly" by Mika. She was awarded a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6329 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, California on February 8, 1960. Hedda Hopper reported that Judy Garland 's loss of the Academy Award to Grace for The Country Girl (1954) was the result of the closest Oscar vote up till that time that did not end in a tie, with just six votes separating the two. In any event, it was such a heartbreak from which Judy Garland never recovered from, mentally. Judy Garland was nominated for her role in A Star Is Born (1954) and which has remained a matter of some controversy. Summoned Sydney Guilaroff , the chief hairstylist at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, to style her hair for her marriage to Prince Rainier of Monaco in 1956. She was voted the 12th Greatest Movie Star of all time by Premiere magazine.

Was named #13 Actress on The American Film Institute's 50 Greatest Screen Legends The road accident which led to her death was apparently caused by a stroke she suffered while driving. Was romantically involved with fashion designer Oleg Cassini . Is portrayed by Christina Applegate and Cheryl Ladd in Grace Kelly (1983). Is one of the many movie stars mentioned in Madonna 's song "Vogue". Broke off her engagement to Oleg Cassini to marry Prince Rainier of Monaco . Bought a silver frame as a wedding gift to Prince Charles and Princess Diana in 1981. While pregnant with Princess Caroline of Monaco , Grace often used her Hermès bag to shield her belly from prying paparazzi. The company nicknamed that purse "the Kelly bag". Her favorite flowers were roses. After her death, Prince Rainier of Monaco opened a public rose garden in Monaco. Biography in: "The Scribner Encyclopedia of American Lives". Volume One, 1981-1985, pages 447-450. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1998. In Italy, a vast number of her films were dubbed by Fiorella Betti .

She was also dubbed by Miranda Bonansea , Dhia Cristiani and Rina Morelli , respectively in High Noon (1952), Dial M for Murder (1954) and To Catch a Thief (1955). Was offered to do a role in 11-time Oscar-nominated The Turning Point (1977). In her youth, her favorite actors were Joseph Cotten and Ingrid Bergman . (April 19, 1956) Her wedding's church ceremony at Monaco's Saint Nicholas Cathedral was exclusively filmed by MGM and made into the documentary The Wedding in Monaco (1956). The 600 guests included David Niven , Gloria Swanson , Ava Gardner and Conrad Hilton . Attended and graduated from Stevens School in Germantown, Philadelphia in 1947. On the day she perished in a car accident, she was allegedly driving a British Rover 3500. Cary Grant named her as his favorite co-star. His friends and family said Kelly's death hit him much harder than the deaths of Louis Mountbatten , Alfred Hitchcock and even Ingrid Bergman .

She and her husband Prince Rainier of Monaco , were at the opening of Expo '58 in Brussels. Grandmother of: Andrea, Charlotte, and Pierre Casiraghi, Her Royal Highness Princess Alexandra of Hanover, Louis and Pauline Ducruet, Camille Gottlieb, Jazmin Grace Grimaldi and Alexandre Coste . Was considered for the role of Sarah in Guys and Dolls (1955), however Jean Simmons was cast instead. Was allegedly romantically involved with all of her leading men apart from James Stewart . She was also linked to Marlon Brando , David Niven and Jean-Pierre Aumont . Her father built a beach house at the corner of 26th and Wesley in Ocean City, New Jersey in 1929. It became a popular family vacation destination, and hosted celebrity guests such as Frank Sinatra , Dean Martin , Jerry Lewis , Bob Hope and Bing Crosby . Grace's sister, Lizanne, lived in the house until it was sold in 2001.

All of her leading men were old enough to be her father (with the exception of William Holden , who was 11 years older than her and Louis Jourdan, who was only 8 years older). Former mother-in-law of Stefano Casiraghi (1983-1990) and mother-in-law of Daniel Ducruet (1995-1996). She was also the future mother-in-law of Princess Charlene of Monaco . Was good friends with actress Maureen O'Hara . She and her husband Prince Rainier of Monaco became pregnant twice in 1962; on both occasions she suffered miscarriages. Ranked #86 in Men's Health magazine's 100 Hottest Women of all Time (2011). The very first actress to appear on a postage stamp in 1993. She graduated from Stevens School in Germantown, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on June 5, 1947; her classmates predicted, in her senior yearbook, that she was certain "to become a stage and screen star".

Her first date, Harper Davis, died in 1953 after contracting multiple sclerosis when he returned from World War II and whose funeral was attended by Grace Kelly. She was a registered Democrat and her family was close friends with Franklin D. Roosevelt during his administration. Was a Girl Scout. Was the 42nd actress to receive an Academy Award; she won the Best Actress Oscar for The Country Girl (1954) at The 27th Annual Academy Awards (1955) on March 30, 1955. She turned down the female lead in On the Waterfront (1954) in order to make Rear Window (1954) instead. Had appeared in three films directed by Alfred Hitchcock : Rear Window (1954), Dial M for Murder (1954) and To Catch a Thief (1955). Grace Kelly passed away on September 14, 1982, two months away from what would have been her 53rd birthday on November 12. Portrayed by Nicole Kidman in the fictionalized and critically ravished Grace of Monaco (2014).

Kidman, however, was nominated for a SAG Award for her performance. It has been alleged that as member of the Twentieth Century Fox board of directors, Kelly was responsible for closing down Russ Meyer 's uncompleted "Who Killed Bambi?". MGM studios offered 70 000 dollars for the weeding of Grace Kelly, in gowns and bonus. Personal Quotes (26) Hollywood amuses me. Holier-than-thou for the public and unholier-than-the-devil in reality. I'll tell you one of the reasons I'm ready to leave. When I first came to Hollywood five years ago, my makeup call was at eight in the morning. On this movie it's been put back to seven-thirty. Every day I see Joan Crawford , who's been in makeup since five, and Loretta Young , who's been there since four in the morning. I'll be god-damned if I'm going to stay in a business where I have to get up earlier and earlier and it takes longer and longer for me to get in front of a camera. I hated Hollywood. It's a town without pity.

I know of no other place in the world where so many people suffer from nervous breakdowns, where there are so many alcoholics, neurotics, and so much unhappiness. Mogambo (1953) had three things that interested me. John Ford , Clark Gable , and a trip to Africa with expenses paid. If Mogambo had been made in Arizona, I wouldn't have done it. At times, I think I actually hate Hollywood. I have many acquaintances there, but few friends. I came to success very quickly. Perhaps too quickly to value its importance. I would like to be remembered as someone who accomplished useful deeds, and who was a kind and loving person. I would like to leave the memory of a human being with a correct attitude and who did her best to help others. My father had a very simple view of life: you don't get anything for nothing. Everything has to be earned, through work, persistence and honesty. My father also had a deep charm, the gift of winning our trust. He was the kind of man with whom many people dream of spending an evening. My real difficulty was to become a normal person again, after having been a movie actress for so long.

For me, at the time I was living in New York and Hollywood, a normal person was someone who made movies. Mr. Hitchcock taught me everything about cinema. It was thanks to him that I understood that murder scenes should be shot like love scenes and love scenes like murder scenes. Of course, I think about marriage, but my career is still the most important thing for me. If I interrupt it now to get married, because I don't believe in a part-time family life, I would risk passing the rest of my existence wondering whether or not I would have been able to become a great actress. My parents, despite their serious attitude toward life in general, and that of their children in particular, were very broadminded people. There was no such thing as a bad profession for them. As I was their daughter, they knew that, whatever profession I chose, I would do it well. That was enough for them. There was always trust among the Kellys. I've always treated my children as beings in their own right. I respect their feelings and aspirations entirely. When I married Prince Rainier, I married the man and not what he represented or what he was. I fell in love with him without giving a thought to anything else.

I would like to say to my future fellow citizens that the Prince, my fiance, has taught me to love them. I already know a lot about them from the way he has described them to me, and my dearest desire today is to find a little place in their hearts. My love of flowers opened a lot of doors for me. I've made many friends because of their passion of flowers and their vast knowledge in this field. Although, I've played a wide variety of roles, I've never had the chance to act in a story written specially for me. It's a pity as they are the only stories that really let you reveal your personality. When Ava Gardner gets in a taxi, the driver knows at once she's Ava Gardner. It's the same for Lana Turner or Elizabeth Taylor , but not for me. I'm never Grace Kelly. I'm always someone who looks like Grace Kelly. Fairy tales tell imaginary stories. Me, I'm a living person. I exist. If the story of my life as a real woman were to be told one day, people would at last discover the real being that I am. If there is one thing that is foreign to me it is shopping for pleasure.

On the other hand, I believe that it is right to honour all those who create beautiful things and give satisfaction to those who see me wearing them. It would be very sad if children had no memories before those of school. What they need most is the love and attention of their mother. I avoid looking back. I prefer good memories to regrets. I'm basically a feminist. I think that women can do anything they decide to do. The studios are tenacious. When they want someone or something, they always get it in the end. I ended up signing a contract with MGM. I signed because they offered me the chance of shooting in Africa, but I signed it at the desk of the airport, when the engines of the plane were already turning. Before my marriage, I didn't think about all the obligations there were awaiting me. My experience has proved useful and I think that I have a natural propensity to feel compassion for people and their problems. (On Gary Cooper ) He's the one who taught me to relax during a scene and let the camera do some of the work. On the stage you have to emote not only for the front rows, but for the balcony too, and I'm afraid I overdid it.

He taught me the camera is always in front row, and how to take it easy... Salary (1) American actress Grace Kelly on the set of 'To Catch A Thief', some of which was filmed on the riviera, where she met Prince Rainier of Monaco | Grace Kelly: her amazing life in pictures - Photography Photography Previous slide Next slide 7 of 42 View All Skip Ad Grace Kelly, the Fifties film star who became a princess, was born in 1929. After making her name in films such as High Noon, Rear Window and To Catch a Thief, she married Prince Rainier III of Monaco on April 19 1956 and retired from acting. She died in a car crash in 1982 after suffering a stroke while driving. 1948: American actress Grace Kelly and her sister Elizabeth wish their brother, Olympic medal-winning rower John B Kelly Jnr, good luck at Henley Royal Regatta, Henley-on-Thames Credit: Evening Standard/Getty Images A 1950s portrait of US actress Grace Kelly. Between 1950 and 1953, the young actress appeared on stage and in live TV productions.

Credit: Rex Grace Kelly (1929-1982), is shown in this portrait from the early 1950s. In 1951 she made her little-noticed film debut in the film 'Fourteen Hours', but stardom would have to wait another two years. Credit: Getty Images 1953: Ava Gardner, Clark Gable and Grace Kelly in 'Mogambo'. This film won her a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress and an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress.

Credit: Everett Collection / Rex Features/Everett Collection / Rex Features 1954: James Stewart and Grace Kelly in 'Rear Window' Credit: Moviestore Collection / Rex Features Grace Kelly on the set of 'To Catch A Thief', some of which was filmed on the riviera, where she met Prince Rainier of Monaco Credit: Keystone/Getty Images Grace Kelly on the set of To Catch A Thief Credit: Rex 30 March 1955: Presenter Bette Davis poses with Marlon Brando, winner of the Best Actor Academy Award for On the Waterfront, and Grace Kelly, who won Best Actress for The Country Girl Credit: Everett Collection / Rex Features 5 January 1956: Prince Rainier III of Monaco and his fiancee Grace Kelly show her mother her engagement ring at the Philadelphia county club where the Kellys announced the engagement of their daughter and the prince Credit: AFP/Getty 23 February 1956: US actor Gregory Peck is flanked by Grace Kelly (R), awarded Favourite Actress for "Henrietta" and Jean Simmons, named Best Actress in a Musical Comedy during the 10th Annual Golden Globe Awards in Hollywood Credit: AFP/Getty Grace Kelly in her final

 film High Society (1956) 27 February 1956: A dummy of the stamp to be issued by Monaco Stamp Office for the wedding of Prince Rainier with US actress Grace Kelly, to be held 19 April 1956 Credit: AFP/Getty/AFP/Getty Grace Kelly and Prince Rainier III of Monaco, pictured in the 1950s Credit: REx 12 April 1956: Prince Rainier III of Monaco and his fiancee US actress Grace Kelly are all smiles aboard his yacht Deo Juvante II in Monte Carlo's harbour, as Grace Kelly arrives from the USA for their wedding ceremony Credit: AFP/Getty/AFP/Getty 19 April 1956: A close-up of Grace Kelly during her wedding ceremony with Prince Rainier of Monaco Credit: AFP/Getty 19 April 1956: Grace Kelly on her wedding day Credit: Rex/Rex 19 April 1956: Grace Kelly and Prince Rainier III of Monaco are married by Monaco's Bishop Gilles Barthe Credit: AFP/Getty 19 April 1956: Prince Rainier III of Monaco and US actress and Princess of Monaco Grace Kelly are seen during their

 wedding lunch Credit: AFP/Getty Prince Rainier placing the wedding ring of Princess Grace's finger during the marriage service in Monaco Cathedral.

Credit: AP Grace Kelly and Prince Rainier of Monaco during their wedding ceremony in Monaco on April 19, 1956 Credit: AFP/Getty Prince Rainier and Grace Kelly, pictured during their wedding service at Monaco Cathedral Credit: AP Prince Rainier III of Monaco and US actress and princess of Monaco Grace Kelly salute the crowd as they leave Monaco's Saint Nicholas Cathedral after their wedding ceremony Credit: AFP/Getty Prince Rainier III of Monaco and US actress and princess of Monaco Grace Kelly after their wedding ceremony Credit: AP Prince Rainier and Princess Grace wave after their wedding Credit: Everett Collection / Rex Features/Everett Collection / Rex Features Prince Rainier of Monaco and Grace Kelly at the ceremony for the arrival of USS Constellation in November 1956 Credit: Rex 13 March 1957: Prince Rainier and Princess Grace walk down a street in Lausanne, followed by residents.

The couple had just arrived there for a few days of holiday shortly after the birth of Princess Caroline Credit: AFP/Getty/AFP/Getty 19 April 1958: Prince Rainier of Monaco (holding their daughter Caroline) and Princess Grace present their new-born son Albert to residents of the principality from the balcony of the palace, a day before the baptism of the child Credit: AFP/Getty/AFP/Getty 29 October 1959: Princess Grace and Prince Rainier III of Monaco and their two children, Princess Caroline, 3, and 19-month-old Prince Albert, leave a hotel in Saulieu en route to Monaco Credit: AFP/Getty 19 April 1966: Prince Rainier and Princess Grace of Monaco chat at the Maestranza bullfight in Seville Credit: AFP/Getty 1969: A formal family portrait at the palace in Monaco Credit: Forum Press / Rex Features/ Forum Press / Rex Features 1969: Sophia Loren and Princess Grace attend a fancy dress ball in the Casino of Monte Carlo Credit: Sipa Press / Rex Features 1972: Princess Grace holidays with Princesses Caroline and Stephanie Credit: SIPA PRESS / Rex Features 29 November 1

973: Princess Grace of Monaco attends a dinner reception in Versailles Credit: AFP/Getty 1973: Princess Grace and Prince Rainier pose with their children Caroline, Albert and Stephanie at the Grimaldi Palace Credit: FORUM PRESS / Rex Features/FORUM PRESS / Rex Features 1979: Prince Rainier of Monaco and his wife Princess Grace relax at Roc Agel, their summer residence near Monaco Credit: AFP/Getty/AFP/Getty 15 May 1980: Princess Grace of Monaco faces cameras while she arrives to attend a tribute to Alfred Hitchcock at the 33rd Cannes Film Festival Credit: AFP/Getty Images/AFP/Getty Images 1981: Prince Charles and Princess Diana take part in their first public engagement, at the Royal Opera House with Princess Grace of Monaco Credit: Reginald Davis / Rex Features/Reginald Davis / Rex Features 16 June 1982: A portrait of Princess Grace of Monaco Credit: AFP/Getty 1982: people look at the location of Princess Grace's fatal car crash on the Cote d'Azur Credit: Armando Pietrangeli / Rex Features/Armando Pietrangeli / Rex Features 13 September 1

982: Police surround the site of Princess Grace's fatal car accident Credit: AFP/Getty 18 September 1982: Monaco's Prince Rainier and his eldest daughter Princess Caroline attend the funeral of Princess Grace Credit: AFP/Getty Grace Kelly Wedding Pictures | POPSUGAR Love & Sex Grace Kelly Wedding Pictures Look Back at Monaco's Last Royal Wedding With Grace Kelly June 30, 2011 1 Look Back at Monaco's Last Royal Wedding With Grace Kelly When Charlene Wittstock marries Prince Albert of Monaco this weekend, she will assume the title once held by Grace Kelly: Her Serene Highness The Princess of Monaco.

The small city state on the Cote d'Azur is pulling out all the stops for the three-day Monaco royal-wedding event that begins today, especially since this is the first time a sovereign has married since Albert's parents, Prince Rainier and Grace Kelly, wed in April 1956. At the young age of 26, American actress and Oscar winner Grace Kelly retired from acting to move to Monaco and become a princess. She had met Prince Rainier, the sovereign of Monaco, in April 1955 while at the Cannes Film Festival. A year later they were married in an event broadcast across Europe, after the prince had traveled to America to meet with Grace and her family. He proposed after only three days, and her family had to present him with a $2 million dowry — a lot of money back then! On her way to become a princess, Grace left New York harbor with her family, bridesmaids, and poodle for the eight-day journey to Monaco. When she arrived, 20,000 people greeted her as she made her way to the palace. Grace Kelly became the Princess of Monaco following a civil and religious ceremony.

Princess Grace's wedding gown, created by an MGM costume designer, was so iconic that it clearly influenced Kate Middleton's wedding dress on her big day . In anticipation of this weekend's wedding , take a look back at everything from Grace Kelly's engagement, arrival in Monaco, and gorgeous wedding now. Share this post Monaco’s Prince Rainier dead at 81 - World news | NBC News Monaco’s Prince Rainier dead at 81 Europe’s longest-serving monarch was married to late Grace Kelly Below: Advertise Eric Gaillard / Reuters file Prince Rainier, second from right, attends a Monaco national day celebration with Prince Albert, left, Princess Caroline, second left, and Princess Stephanie, right, on Nov. 19, 2000. updated 4/6/2005 3:21:39 PM ET 2005-04-06T19:21:39 + - MONACO — Prince Rainier III, whose marriage to American film star Grace Kelly brought elegance and glamour to one of Europe’s oldest dynasties, died Wednesday at the hospital treating him for heart, kidney and breathing problems. He was 81.

Rainier’s royal palace announced his death nearly a full month after he was first admitted with a lung infection to a heart and chest clinic that overlooks Monaco’s glittering, yacht-filled harbor. He had been Europe’s longest-reigning monarch. The prince's funeral will be held on April 15 at the 19th-century Monaco Cathedral where he and Princess Grace wed. Prince Albert, Rainier’s son and heir, was at his side when he died at 6:35 a.m. Rainier’s doctors called Albert a little before 6 a.m. to tell him the end was near, the palace said. Rainier, who assumed the throne on May 9, 1949, also endured the tragedy of his famous wife’s death and relentless scandals — including international criticism of the principality’s tax laws — that plagued the final two decades of his rule. Recurring health problems The leader of Europe’s longest-ruling royal family, the Grimaldis, Rainier suffered recurring health problems in recent years. The silver-haired, portly prince underwent heart surgery in 1999.

He had two operations the following year, including having a nodule removed from a lung, and was hospitalized in 2002 for fatigue and bronchitis. AP file The wedding of Prince Rainier III of Monaco and Hollywood actress Grace Kelly on April 18, 1956. Rainier died early Wednesday. Advertise Recurrent chest infections put him in the hospital on numerous occasions. Most recently, he was hospitalized March 7 at Monaco’s Cardio-Thoracic Center with a chest infection. He was placed in intensive care two weeks later with heart and kidney failure and hooked up to a respirator. Prince Rainier’s public appearances grew increasingly rare as his health deteriorated, although he attended Monaco’s top social event, the Red Cross Ball, in August 2004. A Mass for the royal family was being held in the chapel on Wednesday evening. The family and royal household will observe a three-month period of mourning, ending July 6, the palace said. Monaco government officials will observe a one-month mourning period. Drums used at the traditional midday changing of the palace guards were covered with black cloth Wednesday. Rainier's son to assume throne Monaco had been preparing for the demise of its prince for several years.

Prince Albert is unmarried and has no children. Monaco changed its succession law in 2002 to allow power to pass from a reigning prince who has no descendants to his siblings. Albert has two sisters, Princess Caroline and Princess Stephanie, both of whom have children. Under Rainier’s leadership, the Mediterranean enclave partially shed its image as “a sunny place for shady people” and became a hub for the high-tech pharmaceutical and cosmetics industries. Rainier was known as the “builder prince” for his many infrastructure projects, and he increased the size of his territory by 20 percent with land reclamation. “I am like the head of a company,” he once said of his role in transforming Monaco. In 1993, Monaco gained the political recognition Rainier sought for his principality with its entry into the United Nations. But it was his April 18, 1956, marriage to Hollywood heartbreaker Grace Kelly that put Monaco on the world stage and defined the golden age of his reign. For many, her death in a car accident on Sept. 14, 1982, signaled the end of Monaco’s halcyon days.

“She was always present and ready to do things either with me or for me if I couldn’t do them,” Rainier said of his late wife in a 1983 interview. “Let’s say the change is that we worked as a team and the team has been split up.” Family had stormy past Rainier Grimaldi was the 30th descendant of Otto Canella, who founded the house of Grimaldi that has ruled Monaco since 1297. Born May 31, 1923, the son of a princess born out of wedlock, Rainier was heir to a family with a stormy past — a harbinger of the scandals to come. Advertise The marriage of his great-grandfather Prince Albert to Lady Mary Douglas Hamilton was dissolved in 1880. Albert’s son, Prince Louis II, had a youthful romance with a French girl in Algeria that produced Princess Charlotte, Rainier’s mother. In 1920, Charlotte married Rainier’s father, Prince Pierre de Polignac. Rainier was born in 1923 and his parents divorced soon after.

Educated in England, Switzerland and France, Rainier undertook military service near the end of World War II. He became Monaco’s ruler at age 26 when his grandfather died in 1949. As a youth, Rainier had a long romance with French actress Gisele Pascal, became a keen fan of jazz and studied oceanography, later helping to finance Jacques Cousteau’s Oceanographic Institute in Monaco. He also developed a love of fast cars. A glamorous marriage He met Grace Kelly in 1955 when he was 31 and she was the 25-year-old star attraction of the Cannes Film Festival. Kelly already had an Oscar from the 1954 film “The Country Girl,” one of only 11 movies she made. In January 1956, they announced their engagement and were married in April. Ten months later they had the first of their three children, Caroline. Albert’s birth came the following year, on March 14. Stephanie was born Feb. 1, 1965.

Over the years, Rainier worked to consolidate his authority and expand Monaco’s economic base as a tax haven for international millionaires who gambled at the territory’s swanky casino. New luxury hotels, towering high-rises and some of the world’s most expensive real estate now hug Monaco’s coastline. Gambling receipts account for only 3 percent of the revenues of the principality, home to slightly more than 32,000 people. Rainier also won battles with France to keep his principality’s ban on personal income tax and with Greek shipping tycoon Aristotle Onassis for control of the company that operates Monaco’s gambling operations and most of its luxury hotels. In the years following Princess Grace’s death, Monaco’s royal family increasingly became grist for the world’s tabloids. Princess Caroline’s rocky first marriage ended in 1980, and her second husband was killed in a boating accident in 1990. Her third husband, German prince Ernst August of Hanover, was ordered to pay more than $440,000 in 2001 for yelling at an editor of a newspaper that reported he had urinated in public. Princess Stephanie was known for her tempestuous affairs.

She had two children by a former bodyguard, then married him in 1995. The marriage lasted 18 months, ending after he was photographed cavorting poolside with a Belgian stripper. She had a third child in 1998 and refused to reveal the name of the father. She later had a much-publicized romance with the director of the Swiss national circus. The reputation of Monaco itself has also fallen under scrutiny. In April 2002, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development listed Monaco as one of seven tax havens refusing to cooperate with a major international effort to end harmful tax practices and tax evasion. Even Rainier’s fairy-tale marriage to Grace Kelly was a target. A 1994 biography of Princess Grace claimed that the marriage had gone sour and that Rainier’s “neglect” forced her to find solace in alcohol — and younger men. © 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Prince Rainier of Monaco.

Biography, news, photos and videos Horoscope : Capricorn Born in 1923 to parents Prince Pierre and Princess Charlotte, the young prince studied in England, Switzerland and France before joining the French army as a foreign serviceman in 1944. His mother renounced the throne in 1944, leaving Rainier to succeed his grandfather, Prince Louis II, in 1949. The new ruler then set about modernising the tiny kingdom it covers less than one square mile sandwiched between the South of France and the Mediterranean. Rainier had been on the throne for seven years when he met the beautiful American actress Grace Kelly, who was in Monaco filming the Hitchcock classic To Catch A Thief a film which ironically included scenes on the twisty mountain roads behind Monte Carlo where the actress would meet her untimely death. After a whirlwind romance, Prince Rainier and the princess of the silver screen married in 1956. Hollywood itself could not have come up with a better script, and as Grace Kelly became Princess Grace of Monaco, she cut short a highly successful acting career.

The year after they were married Princess Caroline was born, and Prince Rainier's new bride gave the people of Monaco their heir to the throne, Prince Albert, the following year. The couple's younger daughter Stephanie was born in 1965. The magical status Monaco acquired under the reign of Prince Rainier and Princess Grace was shattered in 1982 when the universally adored princess was killed in a motoring accident. It was a tragedy from which the family never seemed recover, and it has been said that Prince Rainier, deprived of the stricter presence of his wife, was too soft on his children. The loss of Princess Grace particularly affected Princess Stephanie, who was also in the car at the time of the incident and was badly injured. After his wife's untimely death the head of the Grimaldi clan immersed himself in his work, which focused on continuing to attract big business to the principality while aiming to rely less on income from tourism and the casino. He maintained a favourable relationship with neighbouring France despite criticism at times from the government in Paris and over the last 20 years of his reign increased the size of his kingdom from 150 hectares to 181 through various land reclamation schemes.

In his last years, Rainier had endured several bouts of ill health and been hospitalised on numerous occasions with heart and respiratory problems. His last public appearance was in January 2005 when he helped hand out prizes at his beloved Circus Festival. Earlier that week he had been moved to tears when the assembled audience, relieved to see their ailing monarch up and about again, greeted him with a standing ovation. However, just six weeks later he was back in hospital with a chest infection and, after his condition took a sudden turn for the worse, was transferred to intensive care in late March. The prince's long reign came to an end on April 6, 2005, when he passed away aged 81. Popular Rainier was survived by his son and successor, Prince Albert, daughters Caroline and Stephanie, and seven grandchildren: Andrea, Charlotte, Pierre, Alexandra, Louis, Pauline and Camille.

Question: What American actress became Princess of Monaco following her 1956 wedding to Prince Rainier?
Answer: Grace Kelly